I know this is a bit of a cliché but my interest in mermaids started in my childhood. Most of my tattoos are images/ideas from a happy childhood and my leg project is no exception.

A trip to the coast or to a local swimming pool was always a great treat to me and I would never want to come home, especially when I was swimming. My parent’s always had a struggle on their hands when it came to me getting out of the water. I’m at my happiest and my most relaxed when I’m in water. My chosen method of swimming was underwater with my legs held together as if they were joined like those of a mermaid.

During most of my teens I had singing lessons and while I never had these lessons because of my interest in mermaids it’s now that I realise the two interests were related. Even now my favourite way to wind down in the evening is to style my hair whilst singing hehe.

While many people dream of being able to fly I’ve always dreamt of being able to breathe underwater and to have the freedom that the ocean brings. The combination of calm and turmoil that water brings appeals to me greatly.

I also (with the exception maybe of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Mermaid”) see mermaids a symbols of strength and femininity. I also feel that my personality fits that of a mermaid as I am shy yet playful but I can defend myself when necessary.

I was 20 when I came up with the “Modified Mermaid” project.

My first idea was to get my legs tattooed to look like the tail of a mermaid. This idea stemmed from everything I have said before, I felt that I related to mermaids/sea creatures. I also don’t take myself too seriously and thought it would almost be comical to call myself a mermaid; a mythical creature.

I then wanted to find a way to make my leg project work with my previous tattoos. Then came the idea that if mermaids were to actually exist they would more than likely have the same desire as humans to decorate and modify their selves. Therefore a mermaid would be just as likely to get tattoos and piercings as humans. I also came to realise the limitations of having scales tattooed onto most of my legs, how would I get that to work aesthetically? With carp being my favourite fish I decided to go with the colouration of a Kohaku Koi (white with red). So going with these colours there will potentially be a lot of white space and I wasn’t sure how to work around that.

It was then that I decided I wanted fish, aquatic plants and other aquatic creatures tattooed onto my legs/fins as well. So my left leg will feature my favourite marine fish and creatures. As well as coral, seaweed, and anemones. My right leg will feature freshwater species as well as lilies, other pond plants and pond snails.

This will fill the white space and make the design of the scales that much easier. I’m still not decided on their design but I feel that will come once the rest of my leg tattoos have been completed.

However my “Modified Mermaid” project isn’t limited to just my legs. I wanted to think about how tribal merpeople would have decorated theirselves. I wanted to design tattoos for myself that were simple designs inspired by what merpeople see; water movements, creatures, plants and colours. This is where my throat tattoo came from. It’s currently not finished as it will eventually cover the whole of my neck, almost like a collar. Maybe even one day it will grow onto my face and part of my back.

Finally I have a couple of knuckle tattoos that I am considering. They will be the typical knuckle text tattoos. I have two phrases in mind but I just need to pick one of the other :)

My ultimate goal is full body coverage with small amounts of my hands and face but not all of this will be mermaid/fish related but still fitting in with the idea of me being a modified mermaid.

More info...

The Modified Mermaid - Throat Tattoo